Chapter 11: 011 Lady Bai

Chapter 11: 011. Madam Bai

"Silly girl, if your heart stopped beating, that would be trouble," Bai Suihe said, in high spirits after successfully exiting the manor. Fortunately, her five-month-old belly could still be concealed by loose-fitting dresses; if it were any larger, she certainly wouldn't have been able to hide it from the old servants. "It won't happen next time. You need to practice your courage; look how calm Dongmei is."

"Miss, you actually want a next time?" Chunxiang said anxiously. Such a thrill was something she truly couldn't handle.

"Don't worry, next time I will definitely exit the manor openly and legitimately," Bai Suihe chuckled softly.

"How could it be that easy?" Chunxiang thought to herself. It wasn't a festival or a holiday, and since the Miss was pregnant, it was impossible to attend banquets, let alone find an opportunity to leave the manor.

"Rest assured, your Miss has a clever plan," Bai Suihe said with confidence.

Chunxiang clearly did not believe her. If the Miss truly had a clever plan, she wouldn't have let her take the risk of impersonating a maid here.

The master and servant quickly finished tidying up. Meanwhile, Dongmei had brought the items back to the courtyard with two elderly servants.

Bai Suihe only kept a portion for herself and had Dongmei distribute the rest among the servants in the courtyard. This was considered a benefit of the Third Branch, so everyone turned a blind eye to Dongmei and Chunxiang's occasional secret excursions out of the manor.

After running around for half the day, Bai Suihe was so exhausted from eating that she collapsed onto her bed, unable to move, and fell asleep shortly after.

Little did she know that once she fell asleep, her body emitted a faint blue light. Feeling comfortable, Bai Suihe stretched and turned over to continue her slumber.

While she was carefree and oblivious, Madam Bai was unable to eat a single bite.

"What exactly is He'er trying to do?" Madam Bai was utterly perplexed. Her daughter had taken out all of her dowry silver. Let's see what she has bought...

Rice, flour, salt, oil, coarse cloth, hemp rope, pots and pans, cotton, fabric, dried meat, sausages...

"With so many things, is she planning to open a grocery store?" Even for a grocery store, this was an excessive amount. With a capital of two thousand taels, one could open a very large establishment.

"Madam, I have already instructed the people to go and get to work. What do you think?"

Madam Bai gave her a sidelong glance. "You've already instructed them; can I even stop you?"

Wu Qingshui chuckled. "This old servant simply knew that Madam would follow the Miss's lead, so I took the initiative. It's just that the Miss seems more composed than before. Could there be something going on that we are unaware of?"

Madam Bai asked, "Do you mean... there is trouble in the capital?"

Wu Qingshui shook her head in fear. "This old servant wouldn't dare think so. I was just thinking that since the Miss is the daughter-in-law of the Vice Minister of War, perhaps she knows something we do not."

"If you put it that way, it's not impossible. By the way, are you saying He'er wants me to visit the Gu residence?"

"That is what the Miss said. If Madam is busy, she will find a way to return to the manor herself."

"That girl, as a daughter-in-law, it isn't easy for her to come out," Madam Bai mused. If she truly had freedom of movement, she wouldn't need to disguise herself as a maid to leave. "Arrange for someone to send a formal visiting card to the Gu residence tomorrow morning for a visit the day after tomorrow. He'er has been pregnant for quite some time now; as her mother, I should visit her again."

"Yes, Madam," Wu Qingshui replied. "Should Madam prepare anything?"

"Prepare two carts of heavy gifts," Madam Bai sighed. Although they were now in-laws, the Bai family still needed to curry favor with the Gu family. Since they were visiting, they had to provide gifts for the masters and servants alike.

She listed the gifts, sent them to the steward to arrange, and then turned to the backyard to handle the day's chores.

☆

Because the manor physician had been spreading word, the entire household believed the fetus in Bai Suihe's womb was unstable. Consequently, no one dared to cause trouble for her, lest they become the scapegoats if something went wrong.

Gu Antong had followed her mother on a stroll through the streets, but she still hadn't found any jewelry to her liking. Upon reflection, she understood why; even if it was her Third Aunt's dowry, how many people could remember it after more than a year?

Furthermore, one should not refuse a gift from an elder. If Third Aunt offered it to her voluntarily, what could outsiders say?

Just as she was about to ask her grandmother to intervene, she received news that because of the unstable pregnancy, her aunt had collapsed again.

Gu Antong could only grit her teeth, not daring to speak up again.

If anything happened—if she pressured her aunt for jewelry and caused a miscarriage—her reputation would be ruined.

"Tong'er, shall we change our clothes?" Liu Yun also knew they shouldn't go looking for trouble right now. Even the Old Madam had instructed the Third Branch not to bother with formal morning greetings or etiquette.

If even the formidable Old Madam knew to avoid suspicion, she and her daughter certainly couldn't stand out.

"But Mother, of all the clothes, I only like this one." Gu Antong didn't know why, but she felt this outfit would bring her good luck. If she could add Third Aunt's set of jewelry, it would draw even more attention. Her destiny for a lifetime rested upon this.

"You child, why are you so stubborn?" Liu Yun glanced at the servants nearby and dismissed them before whispering soothingly, "Do you think the lady in the main courtyard doesn't desire it? If your grandfather found out about this, even the Old Madam wouldn't be able to protect you. Those rules were set by your grandfather himself; anyone who dares to break them will be made an example of. Look at how many rules the Gu residence has—it's all for show. Back then, to marry your father to a lady from a high-ranking family, your grandfather publicized his family rules to the entire capital. But the families in the capital—which one isn't full of cunning people? The Gu family's foundation is thin, and there isn't a single person in the entire Gu clan who can provide support; otherwise, your maternal grandfather wouldn't have promised me to your father."

Liu Yun chuckled as she spoke. At the time, those sisters didn't think it was a good marriage; they saw him as nothing more than a nouveau riche from a declining house.

But she had married in happily. Aside from the fact that as a concubine's daughter, she could never marry into a high-ranking family as a primary wife, she also valued the fact that the man could not take concubines. Indeed, over the years, even though she had only given birth to one son and one daughter, Old Master Gu, to maintain his reputation, had helped restrain the Old Madam from breaking the family rules. Otherwise, with the Old Madam's temperament, there would be countless concubines in this manor.

"As for the dowry the Bai woman brought, it's not just that we are envious; even the lady in the main courtyard has been hinting at it openly and secretly. I just don't know if that Bai woman is truly stupid or just pretending not to understand, but she has stubbornly refused to let her succeed."

Liu Yun sighed. "It's a pity. If the lady in the main courtyard had succeeded, we wouldn't be in such a passive position today. But you must remember, this matter cannot be started by our branch. It's likely that before long, the Second Branch will take the initiative."

"Then why did you take me to Grandmother yesterday to speak up?"

"I call that 'throwing a stone to test the path.' The one who actually speaks won't be me, but your grandmother." Liu Yun raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "Besides, we didn't want it originally; we were just 'borrowing' it."

As for whether they would successfully borrow it—and by what means—and when they would return it... that was a matter for another time.

(End of Chapter)